The MAGA Crackup Might Finally Be Here

Michelle Goldberg: “The last wretched decade shows that reports of a MAGA crackup ought to be viewed somewhat skeptically. There have, after all, been many moments when Trump seemed to be losing his grip on the right, only for his hold to grow stronger.”

“But a few things are different now. In his first term, Trump inherited a good economy from Barack Obama, and the establishment Republicans who surrounded him prevented him from tanking it with major trade wars or mass deportations. Much of Trump’s base distrusted these figures, seeing them as part of a deep state cabal trying to thwart his populist agenda. But they shielded the country from at least part of the price of Trump’s erraticism.”

“This time, however, Trump came into office with a much shakier economy, and, unrestrained by Washington technocrats, has proceeded to make it worse, putting the country in a sour mood.”